All Articles Tagged "child stars"

We’ve all seen the stories about child stars gone wild. From Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges to Miley Cyrus and Amanda Bynes, making the transition from child star to an adult actor (or musician) can sometimes be rocky and filled with drama. Still, it is possible to make it out unscathed. Let’s look at 15 child stars who successfully transitioned and thrived!

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Back in September we shared with you a slideshow on young men we watched grow up before our eyes on TV and more who, well, aren’t so young anymore. It did so well, and people had so much to say that I decided it only made sense to find a few more child stars who blossomed quite beautifully over the years and look great as grown men. Shall we?

20th Century Fox/Instagram

Brandon Quintin Adams, 35

The Sandlot, The Mighty Ducks and The Moonwalker star used to be everybody’s crush back in the day. Remember when he grew up a little and played Brandy’s college boyfriend, Aaron, on “Moesha”? Well, Brandon Quintin Adams is all grown up now and he’s still adorable–but in a much different way. He doesn’t act very much anymore (he does a lot of voice work), but he just did a short film called Stuck In The Corners that we need to find and see.

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When they’re dishing about their dating and sex lives on talk shows, or strutting the red carpet in outfits that leave little to the imagination, it’s easy to forget that these ladies are former Disney stars!

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Sometimes I look at pictures of child stars I remember from the days when they were little kids and I think–damn! He’s not so little anymore…

I used to feel a little weird about it, but once I check the Wikipedia pages of these individuals and realize that they’re over 18, all feelings and rules go out the window. And I know it’s the same for you, because I’ve often heard you all swoon about the following young men, who have grown up to be quite good looking over the years. These are some of the child stars who grew up to be hot.

MTV/Instagram

Diggy Simmons

When we were first introduced to Daniel Dwayne Simmons III on the MTV reality show “Run’s House,” he was just a little boy with braces who could dance and rap, but did it for fun. Now 19, He has put out an album and three mixtapes, toured with Mindless Behavior, had a random beef with J. Cole, and worked hard to get a killer set of abs. This one has grown up quite nicely…

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While there are numerous child stars who are able to lead successful lives once they become adults, others aren’t so lucky. Thankfully, it appears that former “Smart Guy” actor Tahj Mowry, 28, has grown into a well-rounded young man, but he says that his success is largely in part to the fact that he took some time aside to lead a “normal” life.

“[Acting] wasn’t something that was forced on me, so I knew what it was and I approached it as a job, even as a kid,” the “Baby Daddy” actor told Rolling Out. “And then, what I did in high school was I took a little break. I just went to school, played football, and just lived a normal life. I think that helped a lot.”

“When you’re growing up in the public eye, you have to realize that everything that you do will be scrutinized,” he continued. “With that said, I think it’s wise to grow up in private, away from the cameras. You’ll never see me stumbling out of a club. If I’m going to have fun, I’ll be with friends in a very private setting. I don’t need to be seen by people.”

The former child star also expressed that his family and faith have also played major roles in his growing up to be a well-adjusted adult.

“I think that helped a lot. It also helped that I have a great family, and that my faith has played such a huge role in my life.”

Tahj also advised current child stars and the people who love them to be a little smarter about how they deal with public attention.

“I see it all the time, and I often find myself wishing that people would be a little bit smarter about their situations,” he expressed. “Take Justin Bieber, for instance. He continues to have to grow up in the public eye, and as a result you always see him in the news. I don’t necessarily blame him for all of the drama because he’s had to literally grow up with cameras in his face 24-7. Media was a little different when I was transitioning into adulthood, so it wasn’t quite as bad. Honestly, I’m just so thankful that I have always had the right people around me to protect me from that. I’m very thankful.”

In an interview with JETmag.com, actress and singer Countess Vaughn spoke about what she has been up to all these years, including dealing with the nasty side effects of wearing lace front wigs we told you about last week, starting her own brand of natural lace fronts, raising kids (she has two), looking to venture into reality TV, working on the straight-to-DVD movie More to Love with Tichina Arnold (they both play lawyers in it), and more. The 35-year-old also spoke on the her life in the spotlight as a child star, being typecast as Kim Parker, and her five-year plan. It was an interesting interview, and here are the tidbits that had us talking:

Where She Has Been All This Time:

“I never took a hiatus. People see that I’ve become a mother. I’ve always been working. I’ve kept myself out there. Thank God for reruns— I’ve got a new audience. I’ve never missed a beat.”

If She Plans On Doing Music Again:

“I love music and I always will. I write music: R&B, a little hint of gospel. I love so many different musical styles. I’m all across the board.”

The Challenge Of Growing Up A Child Star After Winning Star Search And Being On 227:

“Being in a fish bowl. Having to be a role model. Wanting to make your own mistakes and learning from them. Watching what you do.”

Being Typecast As Kim Parker:

“Anytime you do a character bigger than life, they’re going to ask you to do it. You have to be able to make the change to get the different roles. “

Her Relationship Status:

“For the past eight years, I’ve been in a longtime relationship with my high school sweetheart. We met when we were 15.”

Branching In To Natural Lace Fronts Products After Her Horrifying Hair Experience:

“I was on the set doing a reality show and I was wearing a lace-front wig that burned me very badly. My skin was peeling off and I couldn’t be under set lights or wear makeup. So I decided that I wanted to take my time about what will go into my brand of natural lace-fronts. No one should go through the drama I did.

I now have a partnership and hair endorsement with Hair Are Us along with hair care products sponsored by Pure Beauty Essentials for Pure Virgin Hair of Atlanta, GA.”

Being A Spokesperson For Ellaboo’s Ovarian Cancer Foundation:

“Minorities need to get tested for ovarian cancer. The earlier, the better. We tend to put ourselves on the backburner and take care of the family first. We need to pay attention to ourselves. Many women ignore the pain, thinking it’s only menstrual cramps. But it’s very serious. A pap smear doesn’t detect it. It’s a silent killer. Cancer has really affected my life. I’ve lost friends and a co-star. I really want to get this message out there. You just want to make a change in the world. It’s time to grow up and teach the next generation. To get more information, people can go to ellaboosangels.org.”

On Doing Reality TV Soon:

“I want to come back in a positive way. I’m not about drinking and fighting. I’m about delivering a message and growing from it. So the show would be a combination of me growing, and getting to know me better.”

Where She Sees Her Career In Five Years:

“I’d like to do more voiceovers for animation, and more serious roles. I have range. Lena Dunham’s character on the HBO show Girls needs a sistah friend. I could bring the drama.”

I could totally see her with a reality show on TV One or something like that. How about you? Check out Vaughn’s full interview over at JETmag.com and share your thoughts.

It’s hard seeing the cute child stars we once watched on TV grow into adults with legal problems and criminal convictions. But nowadays that seems to be more the norm than the exception. From Dee Jay Daniels to Maia Campbell – check out these 15 former child actors who’ve had legal trouble as adults.

Source: WENN

Marcus T. Paulk

Earlier this year, Marcus T. Paulk (the actor who played Myles on Moesha) was arrested following a domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend, Andi Roxx. According to Andi, Marcus punched and kicked her in the chin and stomach following an altercation that began at a Beverly Hills nightclub. Sad.

Sometimes a young star will go above and beyond to shake the child-like image that follows them throughout their career, but these 15 child actors didn’t have to worry about that. These former child stars raised major eyebrows by taking on parts in very adult-themed movies.

WENN

Rosario Dawson

Rosario Dawson was sitting on the steps of a building in the East Village of Manhattan one day when a director of a movie saw a budding star. Cast in the 1995 film Kids, a 16-year-old Dawson played a wild and loose teenager whose concerns over contracting AIDS forced her to take an HIV test. Dawson has gone on to star in many projects, including independent movies and documentaries. Up next for the native New Yorker is a reprisal of her Sin City character Gail.

Many were thrilled to learn that the young and talented Willow Smith would be starring in the Jay-Z affiliated Annie remake. Unfortunately, that won’t be happening. Last week, news broke that the youngest Smith child would no longer be starring in the production due to the Sony Pictures believing that she had “outgrown” the part and was now too old to play a nine-year-old Annie. Will Smith, however had a fairly different story as to why his baby girl pulled out of the remake, reports Necole Bitchie. Check out what he had to say.

“In the past 18 months, I have spent a lot of time focusing on the emotional aspect of my life and my family. In 2010, in one year, our family had the ‘Karate Kid.’ we had ‘Whip my Hair,’ we had Hawthorne, and at the end of the year, we did the Nobel Concert when Barack Obama won his Nobel Peace Prize. Don’t be clapping yet, that wears you out. The thing that had become very clear to me is the danger of a material world and focusing so hard on coming up with money or a house or a job. You focus so hard on those things, and sometimes you can lose focus on why you are doing it in the first place. The only reason to do any of that is to have love,” he expressed.

It seems that Willow needed a break from show biz.

“Willow was supposed to be doing ‘Annie,’ we got Jay-Z to do the movie, got the studio to come in and Willow had such a difficult time on tour with ‘Whip my Hair’ and she said, ‘You know Daddy, I don’t think so’ and I said, ‘Baby, hold up! I said no,no,no, listen, you’ll be in New York with all of your friends and Beyoncé will be there. You will be singing and dancing,’ and she looked at me and said, ‘Daddy, I have a better idea, how about I just be 12.’”

“I’m really learning through Willow the necessity that we have to snap ourselves back and refocus on the emotional needs of the people that we love. Someone’s emotional needs can be very very different from your dreams and what you think they should be doing and where they are supposed to be.”

Since the success of “Whip My Hair”, Willow was certainly pushed into the spotlight and one can only imagine how much pressure that could be on a 12-year-old. It seems that she has made a wise decision.

What do you think of Willow’s decision to pull out?

Photo courtesy of WENN

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise